Summer ends Wednesday for 22 hopefuls when they report to rookie camp. The 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders will go through their paces for two days of workouts before back-to-back games against the Philadelphia Flyers’ rookies on Friday and Saturday in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The veterans report next week, and the first of six preseason games is against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Sept. 21.

The biggest name on the ice figures to be forward Gabe Perreault, the Rangers’ first-round draft pick in 2023 (No. 23 overall) who’s generally regarded as their top prospect. The son of former NHL center Yanic Perreault was a star during his two seasons at Boston College, but was scoreless in five games with the Rangers after signing with them following the NCAA Tournament.

Other players who hope to parlay a solid rookie camp into a role with the Rangers include forward Brennan Othmann, New York’s first-round pick (No. 16) in 2021, and defenseman Scott Morrow, who was acquired in the trade that sent defenseman K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Fourteen of the 22 players attending rookie camp were drafted by the Rangers. The roster also includes several “veterans” of rookie camp who played with Hartford of the American Hockey League last season, like forwards Dylan Roobroeck, Adam Sykora, Bryce McConnell-Barker, and Jaroslav Chmelar.

Here’s the roster and camp schedule. Note that prospects such as forward Malcolm Spence, the Rangers’ first pick in the 2025 draft, and defensemen EJ Emery and Drew Fortescue are already back at school for the fall semester and are ineligible to attend.

New York Rangers news and analysis

Our Jim Cerny looks at five players to watch at rookie camp who aren’t named Gabe Perreault or Brennan Othmann.

Brett Berard is healthy again, and Sportsology’s Russ Cohen told our RINK RAP podcast this week that he expects the 23-year-old fifth-rounder from the 2020 draft to make the team. He wasn’t nearly so optimistic about Othmann’s chances.

NHL news and rumors

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Sidney Crosby grew up in Nova Scotia rooting for the Montreal Canadiens, so he understands that Habs fans want to see No. 87 in bleu, blanc et rouge. “I get it,” Crosby said during the annual NHL Player Media Tour. “Trust me, growing up a Montreal fan and being from not too far from there, I understand how passionate they are.” As Sid the (no longer a) Kid prepares for his 21st NHL season, he said still sees himself as a Pittsburgh Penguin for life. But could that change if the Pens miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season? “I haven’t seriously considered anything else,” he said.

ESPN: Is the NHL getting ready for another go-round in Atlanta. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN that the League met with multiple groups in July who are seeking to make Atlanta the league’s 33rd team. However, he said the NHL needs a “fully baked plan” from an ownership group in Atlanta before having its board of governors consider bringing an expansion team to the city. The NHL is 0-for-2 in Georgia after the failures of the Atlanta (now Calgary) Flames and the Atlanta Thrashers, who became the Winnipeg Jets in the summer of 2011.

NHL.com:  Connor Bedard says contract talks with the Chicago Blackhawks are going well. The 20-year-old center is entering the final season of his three-year, entry-level contract and can become a restricted free agent July 1. “It’s nothing crazy,” he said at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour on Tuesday. “We’re both comfortable with where we’re at.”

NHL.com: Daly also told NHL.com that the League is moving closer to finalizing details for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, with the intention of having decisions made early next year. He said at least two-thirds of NHL cities have expressed an interest in hosting the World Cup, and that the League has received interest from close to 20 European cities.

The Associated Press: The NHL and the Players Association will contribute $4 million annually to the newly established Retired Players Emergency Healthcare and Wellness Fund. NHL Alumni Association president and executive director Glenn Healy, Mike Richter’s backup on the 1994 Stanley Cup-winning Rangers, said the plan provides access to a family doctor and a mental wellness professional for any player, “whether you played one shift or 10,000 games.”

The Rangers host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday at Madison Square Garden and then visit the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.

The message for the Rangers heading into this back to back? Don’t blow it.

This exact topic was discussed on the current Rink Rap podcast, presented by Forever Blueshirts. The Rangers (26-23-4), who are 12th in the conference and five points out of the second wild card, have a terrific chance to head into the break on a four-game winning streak and put more pressure on teams ahead of them in the standings — and even pass some.

These are two very winnable games. The Rangers are simply better than each opponent and they’ve already given away enough points to inferior opposition this season. It’s gotta be a four-point weekend to follow up wins at home against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday and Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

Despite bringing a three-game point streak into play Friday, the Penguins (22-24-9) are not a very good team, remain without the injured Evgeni Malkin and now Sidney Crosby as well, after coach Mike Sullivan ruled him out with an upper-body issue. The Rangers are three points up on the Pens with two games in hand. Time to bury them further.

Then there are the Blue Jackets (26-21-8) on Saturday. The League’s most surprising team has lost three straight (0-2-1) after a three-game winning streak and is without leading goal-scorer Kirill Marchenko, who’s got a broken jaw. Perhaps the fairytale run is coming to an end? It’s the Rangers’ duty to help make that happen Saturday. Regulation wins Friday and Saturday would pull the Rangers even with the Jackets in points (60) at the break, just outside the playoff cut line.

So, yeah. Don’t blow it this weekend.

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New York Rangers news

Terrific article from Ben Leeds breaking down Chris Kreider’s game-winning, short-handed goal against the Bruins on Wednesday.

“It’s a bit of a bull out there.” That’s how J.T. Miller’s style of play was described as he continues to make a major impact on the Rangers since being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks last week.

In case you missed it, here’s out latest update and report on 10 Rangers prospects playing in the NCAA.

Also, here are our three Rangers takeaways from the 3-2 in against the Bruins, including Matt Rempe and Zac Jones making the most of their limited ice time.

NHL news

Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, said he “could care less” about the mounting criticism he’s facing during his struggles this season with the Chicago Blackhawks.

A significant new name is out there in trade rumors: St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn.

Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto is day to day with an upper-body injury but could play Saturday against the Florida Panthers.

Pinto didn’t play when the Senators lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1 on Thursday. The Lightning passed the Senators for third place in the Atlantic Division.

Josh Manson is out for the Colorado Avalanche heading into the 4 Nations break. The defenseman has a lower-body injury.

The New Jersey Devils are spiraling and forward Stefan Noesen called out his teammates after a 3-1 loss to the Golden Knights in Newark.

Anthony Stolarz returned from knee surgery and made 26 saves for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 3-1 road win against the Seattle Kraken.

Did you see this? Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers dropped the gloves at the opening face-off against Jake Neighbors of the Blues.

Starting things off with a bang in St. Louis! 🧨 pic.twitter.com/7eIUGQYFks

— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) February 7, 2025

The Panthers won that game 3-2 when Matthew Tkachuk scored in the dying seconds of regulation.

Alex Ovechkin’s 26th goal of the season moved him within 16 of passing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record (894). The Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3.

Dylan Guenther scored in overtime for the second straight game, lifting the Utah Hockey Club past the Blue Jackets 3-2.

Watch Drew O’Connor score the game-winning penalty-shot goal for the Vancouver Canucks against the San Jose Sharks.

The Rangers (14-11-1) blew a 3-1 second-period lead and lost 7-5 to the Seattle Kraken in a matinee at MSG. They surrendered a season-high seven goals, including five straight across the second and third periods.

It was a dispiriting loss, especially coming off a solid 4-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday which followed hot on the heels of the Jacob Trouba trade.

Just 2-7-0 in their past nine games, the Rangers may have the perfect opponent Monday to take their frustrations out on. The Blackhawks (8-17-2) are last in the NHL, lost five in a row and fired their coach last week. Oh, and their No. 1 goalie, Petr Mrazek, is out with a groin injury, sustained in their most recent defeat, 4-2 to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.

Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from momentum-killing 7-5 loss to Kraken

3 things to watch for when Rangers host Blackhawks

1. No excuses

Plain and simple, the Rangers must defeat the Blackhawks Monday and pocket two points in the standings. No ifs, ands or buts.

It doesn’t matter that the Rangers have struggled for over a month now. Nor that they’re coming off that loss to the Kraken, which sure seemed destined to be a second straight win. All that matters is that the Rangers take care of business against the worst team in the NHL, on home ice to boot.

A fast start would be nice, as it was Sunday. And more of that same puck control game that we saw against the Kraken would do wonders against the Blackhawks. The Rangers had a 31-11 advantage in 5v5 scoring chances Sunday, 11-5 in high-dangers pots. Their xGF was a whopping 72.24 percent, per Natural Stat Trick. More of the same against the Blackhawks should end up with a win at the end of the night.

2. Here comes Vinny

We’ve recently pointed out that Vincent Trocheck’s production is picking up, and Sunday he scored his fourth goal in the past five games. In fact, in that span, Trocheck also has three assist for seven points, and is now sixth on the Rangers in scoring with 17 points.

Trocheck also won 14 of 16 face-offs (88 percent) and was all over the ice during his 20+ minutes TOI. Postgame, he once again stepped forward to provide quality takes on the game and the team. If you’re looking for a future captain to replace Trouba, this might be your guy.

“You’ve got to stay positive at times like this and make sure to know what we’re capable of,” Trocheck explained. “Like the way we played in the third period. We played like a team that knew we could come back from down two or three goals. That’s the sense we had in the room last year. I think it’s a step in the right direction inn that sense … but, yeah, you’ve got to win games, and you’ve got to have that sense of urgency for a full 60 minutes and not just when you’re down.”

3. Connor Bedard in the house

Connor Bedard, the top pick in the 2023 draft and Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year last season, will play his second career game at MSG. Last Jan. 4, Bedard was minus-2 with three shots in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers. By the way, that’s not an anomaly in this series between Original Six foes. The Rangers have won three straight against the Blackhawks and seven of eight since Jan. 17, 2019.

But back to Bedard, The wunderkid is 19 now, struggling to find his groove on a bad team that has limited talent to surround him with. Bedard leads Chicago with 20 points, but has scored only five goals in 27 games. He’s gone six games without a goal and has one in his past 14 games.

Let’s see how he performs under the bright lights of Broadway on Monday.

New York Rangers projected lineup

Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere

Kreider – Zibanejad – Smith

Cuylle – Chytil – Kakko

Edstrom – Carrick – Berard

Lindgren – Fox

Miller- Schneider

Jones – Mancini

Shesterkin

Quick

Rangers vs. Blackhawks: When, where, what time, how to watch

Who: New York Rangers vs. Chicago Blackhawks

When: Monday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden

How to watch: MSGSN

Click here for New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and game results

“Nobody was happy leaving the rink last night,” coach Peter Laviolette said Wednesday. “We look to fix it today and get better tomorrow.”

Phenomenal rookie and 2023 first overall pick Connor Bedard will make his Madison Square Garden debut tonight. However, the Rangers will have one of their own prized prospects playing his first game in the NHL. Brennan Othmann, the Rangers first-round selection of the 2021 draft, was called up on Wednesday night due to forward Tyler Pitlick being week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

The 20 year-old, playing in his first pro season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, has scored 23 points (9 goals, 14 assists) in 28 games to date. His point totals were tied for sixth in the AHL for rookies prior to getting the call.

Here’s tonight’s game and broadcast info:

New York Rangers (25-10-1) vs Chicago Blackhawks (11-24-2)
Date/Time: January 4, 2024 @ 7:00 PM ET
Arena: Madison Square Garden
TV: MSG
Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM

Note: Subject to change, updated for each game

Related: Rangers must fix anemic third-line

New York Rangers projected lineup

The Blueshirts lineup will have a new look that includes rookie Brennan Othmann making his debut and Jonathan Quick projected to start.

Kreider- Zibanejad – Wheeler
Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Cuylle – Goodrow – Vesey
Othmann – Bonino – Brodzinski

Lindgren – Fox
Miller – Trouba
Gustafsson – Schneider

Shesterkin
Quick

Note: New York will hold a morning skate at 10:30 a.m. ET. Head coach Peter Laviolette will address the media soon after. Check back here for any updates.

Update: Per multiple reports, it looks like Othmann will start on the fourth-line and Igor Shesterkin get the call in net.

New York Rangers vs Chicago Blackhawks

The Rangers were bitterly disappointed with their effort against the Hurricanes and should be an ornery bunch taking on the Blackhawks in an Original Six matchup.

“It’s not what we want to see on home ice,” captain Jacob Trouba said. “It’s not what we want to be. There’s no easy games, especially a divisional game at home, there’s no reason for us to show up and play that (kind of) game.”

Look for the veterans to lead the way tonight, as Artemi Panarin continues to dominate this season and would love to score against the team he broke into the league with. This season, Panarin has notched 51 points in 36 games, and is likely to be named the Rangers representative at the NHL All-Star Game in Toronto later today.

Meanwhile, Chris Kreider scored the only goal on Tuesday and in the process became the all-time leading goal scorer on Garden ice with 166 (regular-season and playoffs combined).

Over at the opposition bench, Connor Bedard leads the team in scoring with 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points in 37 games. The team is obviously in a rebuild, but the Rangers must take them seriously. Of the Hawks 11 wins, they’ve beaten the likes of the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, and Toronto Maple Leafs (twice).

The Blackhawks had the third-worst record in the NHL this season (26-49-7, 59 points) and, therefore, the third-best probability to land the top pick, at 11.5 percent. They leapfrogged the Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets for the highly coveted No. 1 pick.

The Ducks, who entered the night with a 25.5 percent chance of earning No. 1, instead will pick second. The Blue Jackets will select third.

Chicago has had the No. 1 draft pick only once before, and the franchise used it on Patrick Kane, who led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles. The Blackhawks traded Kane to the New York Rangers during the 2022-23 season, but now a new era is ready to begin.

Chicago Blackhawks win Connor Bedard lottery

A center, Bedard is considered a generational talent in Canada in the mold of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.

Bedard, who will turn 18 in July, totaled 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 57 regular-season games for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. He added 10 goals and 10 assists in seven playoff games.

Over parts of three WHL seasons, he averaged a goal and an assist per game — 134 goals and 137 assists in 134 appearances.

The Vancouver native also had 23 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in seven games to lead Canada to a gold medal at the 2023 World Junior Championship.

The 2023 NHL Draft will be held in Nashville, Tenn. The first round is June 28, and rounds 2-7 are June 29.

“It’s a monumental thing,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said. “It’s a great day.”

Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson on landing the 1st overall pick and first dibs to draft phenom Connor Bedard. pic.twitter.com/8e8ot9Pyla

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2023

The lottery determined the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the first round, going to the 16 teams that missed the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Ottawa Senators received the 12th overall pick, which conveyed to the Arizona Coyotes as part of the trade that sent defenseman Jakob Chychrun to Ottawa.

The order Nos. 1-16 is as follows:

1. Chicago Blackhawks
2. Anaheim Ducks
3. Columbus Blue Jackets
4. San Jose Sharks
5. Montreal Canadiens
6. Arizona Coyotes
7. Philadelphia Flyers
8. Washington Capitals
9. Detroit Red Wings
10. St. Louis Blues
11. Vancouver Canucks
12. Arizona Coyotes (from Ottawa)
13. Buffalo Sabres
14. Pittsburgh Penguins
15. Nashville Predators
16. Calgary Flames

–Field Level Media